The Real Reason The Celtics Never Acquired Jimmy Butler Or Paul George

This NBA offseason will go down as one of the craziest the NBA has ever had. So many things have changed over the past few months, its hard to keep track of everything that’s happened.

Stars like Jimmy Butler and Paul George were at the forefront of these changes, as both stars changed teams this summer. George was finally traded to the OKC Thunder a few weeks ago after reportedly wanting out of Indy.

As for Butler, he was shockingly traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves during a draft day trade that jump started the Bulls rebuilding efforts.

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Although those situations have many differences, one big question is connected to both stars. Why aren’t they Celtics?

Boston has the assets to make any trade work, they have the attraction they need to keep stars in for the long term, and they have the right pieces in the front office to make the right decisions.

All they had to do was pick up the phone and make an offer the Bulls or Thunder could accept.

Even though they missed that opportunity, one report suggests that it wasn’t without good reason.

According to Zach Lowe of ESPN, the Boston Celtics were more focused on acquiring then-Utah Jazz All-Star, Gordon Hayward, than trading assets to bring in someone else. Zach notes that the team had doubts about how well Hayward would fit in with Butler or George on the team.

Of course, most of this has to do with Boston being able to sign Gordon Hayward without giving anything up, while a trade for Butler or PG would involve giving up some serious assetts. But it also means that Boston chose Hayward over other stars in the trade market.

To put things into perspective, Hayward 2016/17 season average of 21.9 points per game is the when compared to Jimmy Butler and Paul George. While he plays both sides of the ball remarkably well and is still relatively young, the Celtics took a big risk in picking him over anyone else. If things go south, it may take the team years to recover.

With the Kyrie Irving trade nearing finalization, the team has some pretty big expectations heading into the fresh season. With the whole fan base counting on him, it is up to Hayward to prove the Celtics made the right decision in choosing him.